We are submitting this renewal application for the Cardiovascular Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) at the University of Hawaii (UH) in response to the National Institutes of Health PAR-10-196. The John A. Burns School of Medicine has established a Center for Cardiovascular Research (OCR), led by Dr. Ralph Shohet, an R01-funded molecular cardiologist. During the NCRR's investment in our Center through two previous cycles of funding, our junior investigators have successfully competed for 6 new R01s and 3 R21s, in addition to NSF, AHA, and local philanthropic funding. During the past five years we recruited two senior faculty and 3 junior faculty to our program using a combination of institutional and COBRE support. We have also established three Core laboratories that provide crucial services for modern biomedical science, in Genomics, Histopathology, and Mouse Physiology. These accomplishments fulfill the initial goals of the Cardiovascular COBRE program to strengthen the biomedical research capacity of the Medical School and the University and enhance the ability of our investigators to compete for independent extramural funding. We plan to build upon the success of the first two COBRE cycles by enhancing these core facilities and placing them on a secure and sustainable financial basis, so that they can continue to support biomedical research at our institution. Our long-term goal is to continue to train and support the cadre of skilled researchers whose studies will ultimately reduce heart disease and eliminate cardiovascular health disparities among the diverse ethnic groups of Hawaii, particularly Native Hawaiians. Our two specific aims are: 1. to maintain the growth and enhance the sustainability of Core services, and 2. to develop a pilot project program that will fund the best ideas of our investigators to the point where they are competitive for extramural support.

Public Health Relevance

With a new campus, new faculty, and renascent administration, our Medical School has embarked on a new direction, developing into a research-centric school that will address the medical problems of our population at a basic level, and provide a new bioscience component to our economy. These Cores provide the capabilities required for modern biomedical science and in some cases are the only such resources in the State.